7th Case of Rare, Severe Blood Clot Linked to J&J Vaccine

A nurse draws from a vial of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, in Los Angeles on March 25, 2021. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on April 14 that it learned of a seventh woman who developed a rare and severe type of blood clot after receiving the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine.

The seventh possible patient was identified as a 28-year-old woman, as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices debates whether the J&J vaccine should be used. The committee said more information is needed to make an informed recommendation.

Several million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered so far, meaning that the risk of developing clots appears to be extremely low.

Earlier this week, the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended pausing usage of the J&J single-shot vaccine. It came after six cases of blood clots were reported.

“We do need to better understand the risk, which we know is going to be very rare, very low, but we really don’t know exactly how low,” Dr. Beth Bell, a member of the panel who also works at the University of Washington in Seattle, said during the advisory committee meeting.

J&J didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.

In a statement on April 14, as the CDC advisory panel met, J&J said: “We strongly support awareness of the signs and symptoms of this extremely rare event to ensure the correct diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and expedited reporting by health care professionals.

“We continue to believe in the positive benefit-risk profile of our vaccine. We value the consideration of the Advisory Committee, and we will continue to collaborate with medical experts and global health authorities, including the CDC, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency, and the World Health Organization, as we work toward continuing vaccinations to end the global pandemic.”

Some members of the advisory committee expressed concern over the continued pause of the vaccine amid the number of COVID-19 cases being reported each day.

Other blood clot cases include a 45-year-old woman living in Virginia who died. The woman got the J&J vaccine in March and was hospitalized 11 days later, authorities said.

A 48-year-old woman in Nebraska was taken to an emergency room and remains critically ill after getting the vaccine.

A 38-year-old woman suffered from cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and hasn’t recovered.

A 59-year-old woman with no known history of coronary artery disease took the J&J vaccine and had extensive deep venous thrombosis on her left side seven days later.

An 18-year-old from Nevada with unknown risk factors also developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis two weeks after the shot and hasn’t yet recovered, authorities said.

And a 26-year-old woman in the Pennsylvania–New Jersey area got the J&J vaccine and had symptoms of blood clots, officials said. She has been discharged from the hospital.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.